Photographing apparatus, photographing device, and electronic device

ABSTRACT

A portable electronic apparatus includes a housing, an imaging device configured to capture images, a stabilizing mechanism coupled to the imaging device and configured to stabilize the imaging device. The stabilizing mechanism and the imaging device are arranged inside the housing of the portable electronic apparatus.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser.No. 16/054,714, filed on Aug. 3, 2018, which is continuation applicationof International Application No. PCT/CN2016/080806, filed on Apr. 29,2016, the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to portable photography technology and,more particularly, to a photographing apparatus, a photographing device,and a portable electronic device.

BACKGROUND

In order to achieve an anti-vibration photography and increase thephotographing stability to obtain higher-quality images during the useof a hand-held photographing apparatus, the hand-held photographingapparatus is generally mounted on a portable stabilization platform, forexample, a hand-held gimbal. With the popularity of smart phones and theimprovement of the photographing performance of the smart phones, moreand more users like to use the smart phone as a photographing apparatusfor photographing images. However, the conventional hand-held gimbalsgenerally have a large or medium size. Due to the relatively large sizeof the hand-held gimbals and an external control device needed by thehand-held gimbals, it is inconvenient for the user to carry the smartphone mounted on the hand-held gimbal and the operation is cumbersome.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the disclosure, there is provided a photographingapparatus including a stabilizing mechanism and an imaging devicearranged at the stabilizing mechanism. The stabilizing mechanism isconfigured to be detachably mounted at a portable electronic apparatus.The imaging device is configured to communicate with the portableelectronic apparatus to allow the portable electronic apparatus tocontrol the imaging device and to transmit captured images to theportable electronic apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically shows a photographing device in a use stateaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a photographing apparatus of thephotographing device in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the photographing apparatus in FIG. 1from another view angle.

FIG. 4 is schematic diagram of a portable electronic device according toan embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a region V of the portable electronicdevice in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

Photographing apparatus 100

Stabilizing mechanism 10

Holding assembly 12

Mounting member 121

Mounting portion 1211

Load-carrying portion 1213

Blocking portion 1215

Buffer-protection member 1217

Receiving member 122

Locking member 123

Guiding member 125

Clamping arm 127

Connector 13

Stabilizing assembly 14

Connecting portion 141

Imaging device 20

Battery 30

Portable electronic apparatus 200

Housing 201

Screen 203

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Technical solutions of the present disclosure will be described withreference to the drawings. It will be appreciated that the describedembodiments are some rather than all of the embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Other embodiments conceived by those having ordinary skillsin the art on the basis of the described embodiments without inventiveefforts should fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

As used herein, when a first component is referred to as “fixed to” asecond component, it is intended that the first component may bedirectly attached to the second component or may be indirectly attachedto the second component via another component. When a first component isreferred to as “connecting” to a second component, it is intended thatthe first component may be directly connected to the second component ormay be indirectly connected to the second component via a thirdcomponent between them. When a first component is referred to as“arranged” at a second component, it is intended that the firstcomponent may be directly arranged at the second component or may beindirectly arranged at the second component via a third componentbetween them. The terms “perpendicular,” “horizontal,” “left,” “right,”and similar expressions used herein are merely intended for description.

Unless otherwise defined, all the technical and scientific terms usedherein have the same or similar meanings as generally understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art. As described herein, the terms used in thespecification of the present disclosure are intended to describeexemplary embodiments, instead of limiting the present disclosure. Theterm “and/or” used herein includes any suitable combination of one ormore related items listed.

The disclosure provides a photographing apparatus. The photographingapparatus can be applied to a portable electronic apparatus. Thephotographing apparatus includes a stabilizing mechanism detachablymounted at the portable electronic apparatus and an imaging devicearranged at the stabilizing mechanism. The imaging device cancommunicate with the portable electronic apparatus to allow the portableelectronic apparatus to control the imaging device and allow the imagingdevice to transmit captured images to the portable electronic apparatus.When the stabilizing mechanism is mounted on the portable electronicapparatus, the portable electronic apparatus can be used as a handle ofthe photographing apparatus by allowing a user to hold the portableelectronic apparatus.

The disclosure also provides a photographing device including theportable electronic apparatus, the stabilizing mechanism, and theimaging device. The stabilizing mechanism can be detachably mounted atthe portable electronic apparatus and the imaging device can be arrangedat the stabilizing mechanism. The imaging device can communicate withthe portable electronic apparatus to allow the portable electronicapparatus to control the imaging device and allow the imaging device totransmit captured images to the portable electronic apparatus. When thestabilizing mechanism is mounted on the portable electronic apparatus,the portable electronic apparatus can be used as a handle of thephotographing device by allowing the user to hold the portableelectronic apparatus.

The disclosure further provides a portable electronic device includingthe imaging device, the stabilizing mechanism, and an electronicapparatus. The electronic apparatus includes a housing and a displayscreen arranged at the housing. The imaging device can be arranged atthe stabilizing mechanism. The stabilizing mechanism can be configuredto stabilize the imaging device. The electronic apparatus cancommunicate with the imaging device. The images captured by the imagingdevice can be transmitted to the electronic apparatus and can bedisplayed on the display screen. The stabilizing mechanism and theimaging device can be arranged inside the housing of the electronicapparatus. The electronic apparatus can be used as a handle of theportable electronic device by allowing the user to hold the electronicapparatus.

Exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings. In the situation where the technical solutionsdescribed in the embodiments are not conflicting, they can be combined.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a photographing device in a use stateconsistent with the disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, a photographingapparatus 100 can be used with a portable electronic apparatus 200 toform the portable photographing device. In some embodiments, thephotographing apparatus 100 can capture images and is arranged at theportable electronic apparatus 200. The photographing apparatus 100 cancommunicate with the portable electronic apparatus 200 to allow the userto control the photographing apparatus 100 through the portableelectronic apparatus 200 and allow the photographing apparatus 100 totransmit captured images to the portable electronic apparatus 200. Theportable electronic apparatus 200 can include, but is not limited to, amobile phone or a portable tablet. When the photographing apparatus 100is mounted on the portable electronic apparatus 200, the user can usethe portable electronic apparatus 200 as a handle for the photographingapparatus 100 by holding the portable electronic apparatus 200.

The photographing apparatus 100 includes a stabilizing mechanism 10 andan imaging device 20. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, thestabilizing mechanism 10 is arranged at the portable electronicapparatus 200 and the imaging device 20 is arranged at the stabilizingmechanism 10.

The stabilizing mechanism 10 includes a holding assembly 12 and astabilizing assembly 14. The holding assembly 12 is connected to theportable electronic apparatus 200. The stabilizing assembly 14 isarranged between the holding assembly 12 and the imaging device 20 andis configured to stabilize the imaging device 20.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the photographing apparatus 100 of thephotographing device in FIG. 1 consistent with the disclosure. FIG. 3 isa perspective view of the photographing apparatus device 100 fromanother view angle. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the holding assembly 12includes a mounting member 121, a locking member 123, a guiding member125, and two clamping arms 127. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3,the locking member 123 and the guiding member 125 are arranged at themounting member 121 and the two clamping arms 127 are movably arrangedat the guiding member 125.

The mounting member 121 is configured to mount the stabilizing assembly14 and clamp the portable electronic apparatus 200 by cooperating withthe two clamping arms 127. The mounting member 121 includes a mountingportion 1211, a load-carrying portion 1213, and a blocking portion 1215.

In some embodiments, the mounting portion 1211 has a plate-like shape.The load-carrying portion 1213 and the blocking portion 1215 arearranged at two opposite ends of the mounting portion 1211. Theload-carrying portion 1213 and the blocking portion 1215 extend from thetwo opposite ends of the mounting portion 1211 toward differentdirections and are approximately perpendicular to the mounting portion1211, and hence the mounting member 121 as a whole has a Z-like shape.The load-carrying portion 1213 is configured to mount the locking member123 and the blocking portion 1215 is configured to limit a position ofthe portable electronic apparatus 200 mounted on the holding assembly12.

A buffer-protection member 1217 is arranged at the mounting member 121.The buffer-protection member 1217 is configured to receive the portableelectronic apparatus 200 mounted on the holding assembly 12, and hencethe portable electronic apparatus 200 can abut against the blockingportion 1215. In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, thebuffer-protection member 1217 is arranged at the mounting portion 1211and adjacent to the blocking portion 1215. The buffer-protection member1217 has a certain elasticity to achieve a buffer protection of theportable electronic apparatus 200. In some embodiments, thebuffer-protection member 1217 can include a block made of rubber. Insome other embodiments, the buffer-protection member 1217 can be made ofanother elastic material, such as a silica gel, a buffer foam, or thelike. In some other embodiments, the buffer-protection member 1217 is afirst buffer-protection member and a second buffer-protection member canbe arranged at the blocking portion 1215 to achieve the bufferprotection of the portable electronic apparatus 200 arranged at theholding assembly 12. The second buffer-protection member on the blockingportion 1215 can be similar to the buffer-protection member 1217 and canbe made of elastic material, such as a rubber block, a silica gel block,a buffer foam, or the like.

In some embodiments, the holding assembly 12 further includes areceiving member 122. The receiving member 122 is carried by theload-carrying portion 1213 and is arranged at a side of thebuffer-protection member 1217 away from the mounting portion 1211. Thereceiving member 122 is configured to receive a battery (not shown inFIGS. 2 and 3) providing an electrical power to the photographingapparatus 100 and mount the stabilizing assembly 1. In some otherembodiments, the receiving member 122 can be connected to the mountingportion 1211.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, the photographing apparatus 100also includes a battery 30. The battery 30 is arranged at the receivingmember 122 and is configured to provide the electrical power to thestabilizing assembly 14 and the imaging device 20. When thephotographing apparatus 100 is mounted on the portable electronicapparatus 200, the battery 30 can also provide the electrical power tothe portable electronic apparatus 200.

In some other embodiments, the battery 30 can be omitted and thephotographing apparatus 100 can obtain electrical power directly fromthe portable electronic apparatus 200.

The locking member 123 is arranged at the load-carrying portion 1213 andis configured to fix the receiving member 122. In some embodiments, thelocking member 123 can be a screw fastener, and can pass through theload-carrying portion 1213 and screw into the receiving member 122 tofix the receiving member 122 to the load-carrying portion 1213.

In some other embodiments, the receiving member 122 can be separatelyarranged with the mounting portion 1211 or/and the load-carrying portion1213, and can be positioned at the load-carrying portion 1213 via thelocking member 123. It is not intended to limit an arrangement manner ofthe receiving member 122 here. In some other embodiments, the receivingmember 122 can be omitted and the battery 30 can be fixed to theload-carrying portion 1213 directly through the locking member 123. Insome embodiments, a quick release coupler can be arranged at theload-carrying portion 1213. The quick release coupler can be configuredto clamp the battery 30 or the receiving member 122, and hence thebattery 30 or the receiving member 122 can be quickly assembled to ordisassembled from the mounting member 121.

The guiding member 125 is provided at the mounting portion 1211 and isconfigured to mount the two clamping arms 127. In some embodiments, asshown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the guiding member 125 has a hollowcylinder-like shape and is arranged adjacent to the load-carryingportion 1213.

The two clamping arms 127 are arranged at the guiding member 125 and areconfigured to clamp the portable electronic apparatus 200. In someembodiments, the two clamping arms 127 are separately arranged at theguiding member 125 and can both slide relative to the guiding member125. In some embodiments, the portable electronic apparatus 200 isarranged between the two clamping arms 127 to allow the two clampingarms 127 to clamp the portable electronic apparatus 200 tightly. The twoclamping arms 127 can slide along the guiding member 125 to move awayfrom or close to each other, thereby tightly clamping the portableelectronic apparatus 200 having different sizes.

In some embodiments, the holding assembly 12 can further include anadjustment member (not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3). The adjustment membercan be connected to the two clamping arms 127 to adjust opening andclosing of the two clamping arms 127, such that the two clamping arms127 can clamp or release the portable electronic apparatus 200 and cantightly clamp the portable electronic apparatus 200 having differentsizes. In some embodiments, the adjustment member can be arranged at themounting member 121 and can include an adjustment knob. The two clampingarms 127 can be driven to move away from or close to each other byrotating the adjustment knob, thereby tightly clamping the portableelectronic apparatus 200 having different sizes. In some embodiments,the adjustment member and the two clamping arms 127 can be connected viaa force-transferring member.

In some other embodiments, the two clamping arms 127 can include elasticclamping arms to elastically clamp the portable electronic apparatus200. In some embodiments, the holding assembly 12 can also include anelastic member (not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3). The elastic member can bearranged inside the guiding member 125. Two ends of the elastic membercan be connected to the two clamping arms 127 to provide a recoveryforce for the movement of the two clamping arms 127 between each other,and hence the two clamping arms 127 can elastically clamp the portableelectronic apparatus 200. In some embodiments, a third buffer-protectionmember can be arranged at the two clamping arms 127 to achieve thebuffer protection of the portable electronic apparatus 200, when theportable electronic apparatus 200 is clamped by the two clamping arms127. The third buffer-protection member on the two clamping arms 1215can be similar to the buffer-protection member 1217 and can be made ofelastic material, such as a rubber block, a silica gel block, a bufferfoam, or the like.

In some other embodiments, the guiding member 125 can be omitted and thetwo clamping arms 127 can be movably arranged at the mounting member 121such that the two clamping arms 127 can move away from or close to eachother, thereby tightly clamping the portable electronic apparatus 200.

In some other embodiments, the two clamping arms 127 can have a clampingclaw structure to clamp the portable electronic apparatus 200. In someembodiments, when the two clamping arms 127 have the clamping clawstructure, the two clamping arms 127 can include two elastic clampingclaws.

In some embodiments, the stabilizing mechanism 10 also includes aconnector 13. The connector 13 is arranged at the holding assembly 12.In some embodiments, the connector 13 is arranged at the blockingportion 1215 of the mounting member 121. The connector 13 is configuredto connect to the portable electronic apparatus 200 to allow a dataand/or electrical power transmission between the stabilizing mechanism10 and the portable electronic apparatus 200. In some embodiments, theconnector 13 can include a data port matching with a data port of theportable electronic apparatus 200 and can be directly connected to thedata port of the portable electronic apparatus 200. In some embodiments,the data port of the connector 13 and the data port of the portableelectronic apparatus 200 can be connected via a data wire.

The stabilizing assembly 14 is arranged at the receiving member 122 andis configured to mount the imaging device 20 and stabilize the imagingdevice 20. In some embodiments, the stabilizing assembly 14 can befixedly connected to the receiving member 122. In some embodiments, thestabilizing assembly 14 can be detachably connected to the receivingmember 122. In some embodiments, the stabilizing member 14 includes aconnecting portion 141. The connecting portion 141 is configured tomount the imaging device 20. In some embodiments, the stabilizingassembly 14 can include a stabilizing gimbal. In some embodiments, thestabilizing assembly 14 can include a triple-axis gimbal. Thestabilizing assembly 14 and the portable electronic apparatus 200 can beconnected by wire or wirelessly to allow the portable electronicapparatus 200 to provide electrical power to the stabilizing assembly 14or allow the portable electronic apparatus 200 to control a movement ofthe stabilizing assembly 14. In some embodiments, the stabilizingassembly 14 can include a dual-axis stabilizing gimbal. In someembodiments, after the stabilizing assembly 14 and the battery 30 areassembled together, the stabilizing assembly 14 and the battery 30 canbe connected to the holding assembly 12 via the locking member 123, suchthat the stabilizing mechanism 10 can have a compatible structure tofacilitate assembling and disassembling the stabilizing mechanism 10 asa module.

The imaging device 20 is arranged at a distal axis of the stabilizingassembly 14 and can be connected to the portable electronic apparatus200 by wire or wirelessly to allow the portable electronic apparatus 200to obtain images captured by the imaging device 20 and/or allow the userto control the imaging device 20 through the portable electronicapparatus 200. In some embodiments, the imaging device 20 is arranged atthe connecting portion 141 of the stabilizing assembly 14. In some otherembodiments, after the stabilizing assembly 14 is connected to theportable electronic apparatus 200, the imaging device 20 can beconnected to the portable electronic apparatus 200 via the stabilizingassembly 14. The imaging device 20 can include, but is not limited to,any one of a camera, a sports camera, a miniature digital camera, and amirrorless camera.

When the photographing apparatus 100 is mounted on the portableelectronic apparatus 200, the images captured by the photographingapparatus 100 can be directly displayed on a display screen of theportable electronic apparatus 200. The photographing apparatus 100 canbe used as a camera of the portable electronic apparatus 200. In someembodiments, a camera is provided at the portable electronic apparatus200. When the photographing apparatus 100 is detached from the portableelectronic apparatus 200, the camera can function as the imaging deviceof the portable electronic apparatus 200.

According to the photographing device described-above, the stabilizingmechanism 10 is arranged at the portable electronic apparatus 200, andhence the user can use the portable electronic apparatus 200 as thehandle of the photographing device by holding the portable electronicapparatus 200. As such, the photographing device has a relatively betterstabilizing effect and a smaller size, and hence can be easily carriedby the user. Furthermore, the stabilizing mechanism 10 and the imagingdevice 20 can be connected to the portable electronic apparatus 200 bywire or wirelessly, and hence the user can control the stabilizingmechanism 10 and the imaging device 20 via the portable electronicapparatus 200. As such, an operation of the imaging device 20 can beeasier.

In some other embodiments, the stabilizing mechanism 10 can be fixedlyarranged at and integrated with the portable electronic apparatus 200 toform a portable electronic device having a photographing function and arelatively good anti-vibration effect.

FIG. 4 is schematic diagram of a portable electronic device consistentwith the disclosure. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a region V of theportable electronic device consistent with the disclosure. As shown inFIGS. 4 and 5, the portable electronic device includes the portableelectronic apparatus 200, the stabilizing mechanism 10, and the imagingdevice 20. The portable electronic apparatus 200 includes a housing 201and a display screen 203 arranged at the housing 201. In someembodiments, the housing 201 can include a transparent housing made of atransparent material. The display screen 203 can include a touch-screen.The stabilizing mechanism 10 can be arranged inside or on the portableelectronic apparatus 200. The imaging device 20 can be arranged at thestabilizing mechanism 10. The stabilizing mechanism 10 can be configuredto stabilize the imaging device 20 and cause the imaging device 20 to beused as an imaging device and/or a camera integrated in the portableelectronic apparatus 200. In some embodiments, the portable electronicapparatus 200 can communicate with the imaging device 20. The imagescaptured by the imaging device 20 can be transmitted to the displayscreen 203 for displaying. The portable electronic apparatus 200 cancontrol the stabilizing mechanism 10 or adjust an attitude of theimaging device 20 by touching the touch screen.

In some embodiments, the portable electronic apparatus 200 can include aportable communication apparatus. In some embodiments, the portableelectronic apparatus 200 can include a mobile phone or a portabletablet. The stabilizing mechanism 10 and the imaging device 20 can beboth arranged inside the housing 201 of the portable electricalapparatus 200. The portable electronic device can allow the user to holdthe portable electronic apparatus 200, and hence the portable electronicapparatus 200 can be used as the handle of the portable electronicdevice.

The stabilizing member 10 and the imaging device 20 can be integrated inthe portable electronic apparatus 200, and hence the size of theportable electronic apparatus 200 is too large to affect the use of theportable electronic apparatus 200 as a regular communication apparatus.Moreover, the imaging device 200 can be used as an imaging device or acamera integrated with the portable electronic apparatus 200, and hencethe integrity of the portable electronic device can be high. Inaddition, the stabilizing mechanism 10 can stabilize the imaging device20, such that the portable electronic device can have the photographingstabilization effect to avoid a cumbersome operation of assembling thestabilizing mechanism 10 and the imaging device 20 when needed and avoida complex structure. The images captured by the portable electronicdevice can have a good image quality at any time and the user experienceis enhanced.

It is intended that the specification and examples be considered asexemplary only and not to limit the scope of the disclosure. Thoseskilled in the art will be appreciated that any modification orequivalents to the disclosed embodiments without departing from thespirit and scope of the present disclosure are intended to beencompassed within the scope of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable electronic apparatus comprising: ahousing; an imaging device configured to capture images; and astabilizing mechanism coupled to the imaging device and configured tostabilize the imaging device; wherein the stabilizing mechanism and theimaging device are arranged inside the housing of the portableelectronic apparatus.
 2. The portable electronic apparatus of claim 1,wherein the stabilizing mechanism and the imaging device are integratedtogether.
 3. The portable electronic apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising: a display screen arranged at the housing and configured todisplay the images captured by the imaging device.
 4. The portableelectronic apparatus of claim 4, wherein the display screen includes atouch-screen.
 5. The portable electronic apparatus of claim 5, whereinthe display screen is configured to receive touch operation forcontrolling the stabilizing mechanism or adjusting an attitude of theimaging device.
 6. The portable electronic apparatus of claim 4, whereinthe imaging device is arranged at an area inside the housing and spacedapart from the display screen.
 7. The portable electronic apparatus ofclaim 4, wherein the stabilizing mechanism is integrated with theimaging device and arranged at an area inside the housing and spacedapart from the display screen.
 8. The portable electronic apparatus ofclaim 4, wherein the imaging device faces a direction away from thedisplay screen.
 9. The portable electronic apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe imaging device is a rear camera of the portable electronicapparatus.
 10. The portable electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein theportable electronic apparatus includes a portable communicationapparatus.
 11. The portable electronic apparatus of claim 10, whereinthe portable communication apparatus includes a mobile phone or aportable tablet.
 12. The portable electronic apparatus of claim 1,wherein: the stabilizing mechanism includes a stabilizing gimbalincluding a triple-axis or dual-axis stabilizing gimbal; and the imagingdevice is arranged at the stabilizing gimbal.
 13. The portableelectronic apparatus of claim 12, wherein the portable electronicapparatus provides electrical power to the stabilizing gimbal andcontrols the stabilizing gimbal to move.
 14. The portable electronicapparatus of claim 12, wherein the imaging device is arranged at adistal axis of the stabilizing gimbal.
 15. The portable electronicapparatus of claim 14, wherein the distal axis is a pitch axis of thestabilizing gimbal.
 16. The portable electronic apparatus of claim 15,wherein the stabilizing gimbal further includes a roll axis connected tothe pitch axis, and a yaw axis connected to the pitch axis through theroll axis.
 17. The portable electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein thestabilizing mechanism forms a space configured to accommodate at least apart of the imaging device.
 18. The portable electronic apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the portable electronic apparatus is configured tofunction as a handle to be hold by a user.
 19. The portable electronicapparatus of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic apparatus isconfigured to control an operation of the imaging device.
 20. Theportable electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the imaging device isa camera integrated with the portable electronic apparatus.